Fantastic. A hat-trick of inter-county victories.

2025 will go down as a very good year. We have won championships both at County level and at inter-county level. Club News has already focused on our county successes and now focuses on our inter-county championship wins.

The Northern Counties Bowling Association Championships.

The Northern Counties Bowling Association Championships were held at Silloth Bowling Club in Cumbria on the gloriously sunny weekend of 2nd and 3rd August.

The championships encompassed the top teams from Yorkshire, Cumbria, Durham, Northumberland and Lancashire. Harrogate BC was represented in the Men’s Triples and the Under 24 Fours.

Men’s Triples Champions.

This match report was kindly provided by Lee Coutts.

Yorkshire (P. Morton, L. Coutts, I. Brickley) v. Lancashire (L. Noon, G. Niven, R. Vaughan)

Final Score: Yorkshire 20 – Lancashire 18

“Harrogate trio Paul Morton, Lee Coutts, and Ian Brickley represented Yorkshire in the Northern Counties Triples Final and produced a gutsy, composed performance to take a 20–18 victory in a thrilling and finely balanced contest.

Yorkshire made an assured start, picking up multiple early ends and building a strong 10–4 lead by end 8. However, the momentum shifted on end 9, Morton had a rare loose end presenting a challenging head setup in opposition to a strong lead from Lancashire with three in the head early doors proved costly. Lancashire punished with a self-inflicted six-shot count against, bringing the game level at 10–10.

The match then became a tactical battle and fight for Yorkshire to regain composure. After a quiet spell with no scoring, Lancashire edged ahead with a single on end 13 and then taking advantage of another Yorkshire lapse of focus and touch of fortune to register a damaging five on end 14 to lead 16–15. But Yorkshire weren’t finished. A well-earned three on end 15 as a defiant response followed by two disciplined ends held Lancashire to just two more shots, before a Brickley wonder shot turned a 3 shot Lancashire hold into a venerable 1 shot lead into the last three bowls , two narrowly missed weighted deliveries from Lancashire and a dead weight draw from Bricker’s brought a 2 shot score and the title to Yorkshire.

The game itself was a gruelling 3 hour and 40 minute contest, testing both focus and stamina. A special mention goes to travelling supporters Les and Fiona Bentley, whose surprise appearance was a boost to the team’s morale — offering encouragement, water refills, and even mid-match chocolate to help the team push through to the end.”

Under 24 Fours Champions.

Yorkshire: Amica Fordy (Northallerton BC), Matt Moseley & Marcus Moseley (Middlesborough BC), Tom Bielby (HBC),

A match report isn’t currently available.

The Alsop Trophy Winners.

Yorkshire won the Alsop Trophy on Saturday 19^th July for the first time in 25 years, captained by our very own Lee Coutts. Why is it being covered in this article? Because Lee accepted the trophy on behalf of the Yorkshire team at the Northern Counties BA Championships on 3rd August – accompanied by squad member Ian Brickley. A very proud moment.

Saturday 19th July.

Our appreciation and thanks go to all our members involved in these successes.

Photographs: Les Bentley and other sources.